Sunday, January 19, 2014

Book Description

Publication Date:January 17, 2014

The Animal Tales Collection Bedtime & DreamsPlease Don't Sneeze We all know that children are very curious about fire. THIS story is full with colorful creatures and flowing with humor bring a clear message about the danger of fire. The pictures are so cute and imaginative for young ones. It's hard to keep kids captivated, but this book does it making it fun with rhyme, color, and an adorable main character that is easy to Adore. Most importantly it offers toddlers a perspective that they have choices with regards to their health. This is an important message and at the right age. It's a sweet book to snuggle up to with your children anytimeDon't forget to Get your FREE

Sigal Adler is an Israeli children's author with a refreshing, rhythmic writing style.The combination of catchy rhymes spiced with humor and an ethical message appeals to the hearts of children.

Originally published in Hebrew, Sigal's books quickly becamebest-sellers in Israel. She has recently begun translating her work intoEnglish so as to reach and delight a new audience.

We hope you have an enjoyable reading experience!

Editorial Reviews

This is a delightful book for
young children. It is entertaining with wonderful illustrations.
It makes young readers want to continue until the end. It has
a moral that children can relate to. I know this as I am a
kindergarten teacher and I can tell what appeals to this age
group. I would love to see this book stocked in early
childhood classrooms.

I loved this book! With beautiful illustrations and a story plot that comes with rhyming, this is going to be one read kids are just going to eat up, just like Hokey eats everything up!

This is going to be one read your kids will be putting on the list to read over and over. It's great for beginner readers too, and if you haven't grabbed your copy, or downloaded for your kids on their tablets or Kindle, then go. Right now. You won't regret it.

Thursday, January 16, 2014

Book Description

Publication Date:April 29, 2010

Will anything get a mother yelling about time outs and withholding favors faster than a toy-strewn house? In That Mama is a Grouch, an intelligent and very wise narrator reminds us in charming rhyme that mothers are human, most often loving, and that certain situations will guarantee driving them to their breaking point. When nerves are tested, pick up this book and start reading!

This story was written very well for
children and as a adult I enjoyed it.

I found this book educational for
children and adults.

I would highly recommend this book

Interview With Sherry

Describe your earliest memories of
writing: When I was about eight years old, I wrote my first
“book.” It was called, The Kingdom in the Clouds. I was so
proud of it! In fact, I still have it amongst all of my special
treasures. I wrote a lot of stories throughout my childhood. As
long as I can remember, I have enjoyed reading and writing.

Your book,
That Mama is a Grouch has won several awards, including first place
in the 2011 Pinnacle Book Awards, and was a the recipient of the
Silver Award from the 2013 Mom’s Choice Awards. Tell us how you
felt when you heard that your book was selected for these honors.
I was really excited! It was such an honor to have my book
recognized this way. I think it also gave me a little boost to move
forward with my writing career. It’s nice to know that people like
what you write!

Being a professional musician who
plays and teaches violin, viola, and piano, does this helps with your
writing? It does. I think I have an innate sense of rhythm and
flow that comes from being a musician. When I read something aloud,
I am usually able to pick up if something sounds good, or if a few
words need to be changed. I also think that my involvement with
music has helped nurture my artistic, creative side. Creativity is a
necessity if you’re an author!

Were you encouraged to write or was
it something that came natural? Writing does come naturally, but
I have to say, I never intended to make a career of it. My daughter
was the one who encouraged me to get my first book published. That
Baby Woke Me Up, AGAIN was a poem I created in my head when my
five-month old son kept me up during the night. I didn’t sleep
much when my kids were babies. I suppose the lack of sleep somehow
got the creative juices flowing. Anyway, I shared the poem with my
daughter. She liked it and thought other kids would like it too.
The rest is history.

Are you working on a new book?
I’m working on a series for middle grade readers. I call them
the “Bubba and Squirt” books. They are similar to Mary Pope
Osborne’s Magic Tree House series in that a couple of kids travel
via magic to different countries. My books are all set in the
present, though. The kids have an adventure while experiencing the
culture and language of the countries they visit. I have recently
found an agent, and he’s working on finding a publisher for the
series. The first book is called, Big Hole to China. I’ve
written five books so far, and am working on the sixth.

What do you do when you’re not
writing or promoting your books? When I’m not doing “author
stuff,” I’m either running around like a maniac with my kids, or
I’m doing something with music – playing, teaching, or writing
songs. I like to hike and do outdoor things too.

How did you come up with your
characters? The characters in my first two books were based on
personal experiences. So it’s fair to say that my kids were the
models for the characters in those books (although my daughter really
does not like to have people think she was the messy kid in That
Mama is aGrouch).

What advice would you give parents
on selecting the right books for their children to read? First,
make sure the books you choose are age-appropriate. Kids have to be
able to understand what’s going on in the story. Second, read
books about things they enjoy. This helps to hold their interest. I
think good pictures help too, especially with books written for
younger children.

What advice you would give to new
writers? Read a lot of books that are similar to what you want to
write. This will give you a good feel for what publishers want to
see, and an idea of what kind of stories people want to read. Then
research publishers to see which ones might be interested in your
work. Last but not least, always submit your best work!

Is there anything else you would
like to share with our readers? Reading books is such a wonderful
thing to do with your children. I’m so glad my parents read to me!
I hope you’ll take the time to read about some of the other
wonderful books on this blog. Thank you so much for having me as a
guest!

Sherry Ellis is a freelance writer and
children’s author. Her first book, That Baby Woke Me Up, AGAIN,
was published in 2005. Her second, That Mama is a Grouch, was
published in 2010 and was honored as a finalist in the 2010 USA Book
News Awards as well as in the 2011 International Book Awards. It also
took first place in the parenting category of the 2011 Pinnacle Book
Awards, and was the recipient of the silver award in the 2013 Mom’s
Choice Awards.

Sherry is also a
professional musician who plays and teaches violin, viola, and piano.
She has appeared as a soloist in Germany and was a semi-finalist in
the 2004 International Viola Competition in Paris, France. Sherry is
also a former PADI SCUBA instructor. She has travelled to many
exotic places and has seen much of the world above and below the
water.

Sherry lives with her husband and two
children in Atlanta, Georgia.

You can learn more about Sherry Ellis
on her website, www.sherryellis.org

Sunday, January 5, 2014

The
topics are contemporary and compelling; these are subjects that
affectour world today and those for which people are seeking genuine
guidance. Her words reveal an understanding of the depth of emotions
in our world, as she explains situations through her own personal
experiences. Yet, throughout the book, there is a solid and strong
emphasis on the Word of God. The author has effectively bridged the
gap between the natural and the spiritual world. Her complete
reliance on the power of God brings a taste of heaven to some of today's bitter situations. Sexual promiscuity, peer pressure, disease
and even crime are discussed with a bold and frank style. Readers
will know there is nothing outside of God's reach that He cannot
restore and make right again. An added layer of spiritual
enlightenment comes from the poems that accompany many of these
essays. Intense and extremely insightful, the words of Aaron L. Slaton provide a strong commentary to his sister's counsel.
Encouraging, yet filled with many hard-hitting exhortations, this
book speaks with a contemporary language and a timeless commitment to
love and truth.

Born
and raised in Fairhaven, Massachusetts and attended University of
Lowell (now University of Massachusetts, Lowell). It was there that I
learned to love jazz. I have been performing jazz and other kinds of
music for over 20 years, throughout the New England area. I live in
North Reading, Massachusetts with my husband Richard, and my son
Charlie.

BWB: Many authors relate their characters to people they know. Is this the case with your characters and do you see yourself in any of them?

Well, most of the characters of this book are instruments, but yes, the main character Windy is a reflection of myself since I am a flute player, and since the Flute is a Wind instrument, I decided that Windy would be a good name. Also, she has a lot of curiosity about jazz and I was a lot like that too.

BWB: Who is your most favorite character from any book of all time?

Oh so many to choose from, but for picture books, I would have to say Max from “Where the Wild Things Are” and for older books, I really love “Harry Potter” series. However, when I was growing up, my top favorite character has to be Sherlock Holmes.

BWB: If your book was to become a movie, which actors/actresses do you see playing the parts of your characters?

I think I would want to keep it animated like the book, but I can totally see like Della Reese playing “Ebony Piano” and possibly Geena Davis playing “Windy Flute” – one can dream right?

BWB: Everyone wants to know the story behind the story...What's your story?

This story is based on my learning of how to play jazz. In College, I was told that Flutes don’t play jazz, so I did it anyway. I think it takes a lot of chutzpah to just do what you want, sometimes you just have to take those risks in order to do what you love.

My main goal here is to get music back into Elementary schools and bring back the idea of Jazz to kids. I want parents and grandparents to remember this great period of music that should not be forgotten from our history.

BWB: What can we expect in the future from Gia Volterra de Saulnier?

Friends are already asking for a sequel. I do have one or two more ideas in my head, but I do want to keep a musical theme going here. Maybe “Journey to DixieLand” and “Boogie on Down to BluesTown” is also in my head.

Join
Windy Flute, Spitz Trumpet and their friends as they travel to a
legendary place where music is joyous, creative and free.

My Review:

Journey To Jazzland is a very cute read. If you still have kids at that age that you are reading them stories or they are just beginning to read, then this is a book that you will want to put in your library.

Windy Flute finds herself wanting to play different notes than what the conductor wants her to. When he asks her is she thinks she's in Jazzland, she sets off on a journey to find this magical place. Along the way she finds other instruments that also want to take this journey with her, and by the end, we find that beautiful music can be formed when they all play together.

This sends a great message to kids that they can do anything they put their minds too and it's okay to think outside the box, and my favorite, to be a leader not a follower. Ms. Volterra de Saulnier did such an amazing job with this story, and I have to say that the illustrations and colors are just fantastic.

This is a definite must-have read to add to your shelf and it's a fantastic read with a fantastic message.

Excerpt:

One day during an orchestra rehearsal,
Windy Flute was playing a piece of music and her mind started to
wander. Over and over, she had practiced this piece and played this
piece. Feeling bored, she felt that she wanted to be a little
different.

Then something special happened. She
began to hear notes that weren’t on the page of sheet music on her
stand! When she started playing what she heard, Windy realized these
new notes made her feel better. The harmonies and the melodies were
the same, but the music moved differently. Before she could figure
things out, she was interrupted by a stern voice.

“Excuse me, Ms. Flute, do you mind
playing with the rest of us? Where do you think you are —
Jazzland?” said Mr. Conductor, scowling down at her.

After the rehearsal, Mr. Conductor
gave Windy a severe look and stomped off the stage.

Windy turned to her friends in the
woodwind section. “What’s Jazzland?” she asked. She was still
thinking about the good feelings she got from playing different
notes.